


The Crownless again Shall Be King

by timepatty



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Future Fic, M/M, Post Ending, Reborn!Arthur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-27
Updated: 2012-12-27
Packaged: 2017-11-22 14:05:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/610621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timepatty/pseuds/timepatty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>hundreds of years have gone by. The castle is worn but a city has grown. Time goes on. People still fall in love, get married, have children. </p>
<p>And occasionally, there’s a spark in a child.</p>
<p>They call him Arthur.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Crownless again Shall Be King

**Author's Note:**

> Cross Posted (as a draft) at dibsonthescifi.tumblr.com

Hundreds of years have gone by. The castle is worn but a city has grown. Time goes on. People still fall in love, get married, have children. 

And occasionally, there’s a spark in a child.

They call him Arthur. 

There have been many Arthur’s all over the world, and many of those have been in England. A rumour spreads amongst them, a tale about an old wizard. 

The tells how one day every Arthur is destined to meet an old man. It might be at midnight on midwinter, or high noon on a fine spring day. Or perhaps just an average Tuesday. But he'll come out of the woodworks, calling them to an old cottage, or appearing before them, radiating with power, wisdom and all the pain of the ages. 

The wizard look at them silently. Maybe for a second, maybe for an age, before shaking his head. “Not the right one” he'll mutter. 

But they all share a heritage, these Arthur's, and the old man is kind. He'll dole out wisdom or trinkets anyway, even though they can’t shake the feeling that spring has died because of their very existence. they'll part ways, inextricably heading in different directions, and whenever they look back over their shoulders, hoping for a final glimpse to prove the reality of the experience, he'll be gone. 

Every Arthur could be The Arthur that Merlin craves. But they’re not. Some might have been, given the right circumstances, but still Merlin waits.

Many years still go by. Hope has faded from those wise old eyes. He has shunned companionship for many years, seeking only the bitter hope of the young boys of whom he seeks out. 

Then one day he goes to meet the latest prospect, an Arthur who had escaped his notice previously and is almost eighteen. It’s a surprise and an effort to have to look up at this boy, but when he does Merlin is faced with eyes of piercing blue and a mop of blond hair. Magic stirs around the two of them and Merlin feels the very earth awaken around him. He smiles at this Arthur and he smiles back, unafraid, knowing, like someone who has just woken from a pleasant dream.

“It's been a while, hasn't it?”


End file.
